Keynote speaker for BWCA’s 2018 conference announced

Solo Atlantic rower Debra Searle is to be the keynote speaker at the main annual event for the water cooler industry, the British Water Cooler Association (BWCA) conference and trade show 2018.

The event’s theme will be: The Journey. The theme is taken from Ms Searle’s book of the same name describing her trans-Atlantic rowing feat. The BWCA event will take place on March 8 2018 at the Nottingham Belfry.

Ms Searle will be sharing with BWCA members the highs and lows of her Atlantic row and her strategies for success.

She said: “When I was alone on the Atlantic I developed a whole toolkit of mental strategies that helped me to keep my oars in motion. Back on dry land, I became completely reliant on these strategies as tools to achieve success in my businesses and in day to day life.

“A study into the behaviour of top performers found that 15% of their success can be attributed to their skill level but 85% is down to their attitude. I believe that if we can tap into that and start to proactively choose our attitude, then we can achieve more than we ever dreamed of, whether that be in our businesses or for personal goals.

“Employing these tools and techniques has changed my life and my businesses forever, and I hope they can for you too.”

Ms Searle first hit the news headlines when she set out to row across the Atlantic with her husband. Unfortunately he had to be rescued so Ms Searle, a novice rower, continued alone and rowed 3,000 miles from Tenerife to Barbados. It should have taken them six weeks but, to achieve her goal, she ended up spending 3½ months alone at sea, encountering 30ft waves, sharks, and force eight squalls in her 23-foot plywood boat.

Other speakers at the BWCA conference will include Karen Wells of Zenith Global, revealing the latest industry market data; Phillipa Atkinson-Clow talking about her 25 years at the helm of the association; and Brendan Hanlon, from Just a Drop, celebrating with members the association’s continuing efforts in support of his charity in bringing clean water sources to villagers in Africa.